Official announcements from the Department of Justice or Presidential Executive Orders

Trump to Pursue Death Penalty for Violent Offenders on January 20, 2025, After Biden Commutes 37 Inmates' Sentences

Dec 24, 2024, 05:15 PM

President-elect Donald Trump has announced plans to direct the Department of Justice to pursue the death penalty for violent offenders, including rapists and murderers, upon his inauguration on January 20, 2025. This statement comes in response to President Joe Biden's recent decision to commute the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without parole. Trump criticized Biden's move, calling it senseless and expressing that it further devastates the families and friends of victims. Trump's stance on the death penalty aligns with his campaign promises to extend its application, particularly to immigrants convicted of murdering American citizens and to drug and human traffickers.